Written by: Josh Cabalquinto
The season of summer is a time that a lot of kids and teenagers enjoy summer vacation and freedom from school. Some choose to have fun under the sun. Others choose to stay indoors and try different hobbies. But for a crew of about 16 teens, summer meant to discovering their magic. And no – I wasn’t referring to them receiving an owl from a school or pulling a rabbit out of a hat (muntik na!). But something a little more captivating than what an average person would expect.
In the summer of 2019, I was tasked by Doc Jabby to be a project lead in the season’s summer workshops for our dear Teen Barkada. I was nervous at first, thinking that there might be the pressure to meet the needs of the teens as well as making it fun and memorable moments for them to cherish. Little did I know… there was something in store for me too! Earlier that year in January, Doc Jabby and I met the lovely people of Make Believe Productions, a Makati-based creative arts production company catering to children and companies through workshops, events and performances, to name a few. We got to talk to Lesley Lina – the creative directress of the company, and two of their magic makers, Ivy Wong and Mike Shimamoto. We planned for a summer long workshop, teaching our teens from Teen Barkada different aspects of the creative arts. At the end of it, the teens up with a mini theatre production that utilizes the skills, talents, and their stories for the community to see. We eventually rounded up 16 teens to attend these awesome workshops, showcase their talents, and hone new skills over the summer. From arts and crafts, to dance and movement, to songwriting and singing, and finally to acting – the teens and I were in for a treat!
Although, the lessons were not just the ways we can use crepe paper against plastic sheets or the ways we can use an A-B-A-B rhyming scheme in songwriting. There comes a point in the workshop and working behind the scenes in the production where I saw within myself and through the teens something more important. It was a process which taught me four things about my talents and how I relate to them through experiences.
- Give it a try!
It comes to no surprise that a group of teens – and even a young adult such as myself, would this nervousness around the idea of performing or entertainment. When I announced this workshop to the teens, there was quite a number who showed their excitement for it. “Game po ako, Kuya Josh!” said some of it. And as their kuya, I find it happiness in knowing that they look forward to not just recreational activities, but opportunities to learn and grow. True enough, those who were quick to respond tended to be more receptive to learn and to apply the skills they developed in the workshops.
While the enthusiasm was much appreciated by me and the magic makers from Make Believe Productions, some had a little bit of hesitation mixed in with them. Earlier in the workshop, I realized that this may be the first time for many of us (yes, myself included!) to join in an activity that takes a lot of self-exposure and performance. And guess what…? It was perfectly okay! I noticed that most of the time, when the teens and I feel apprehensive about performing something – like a skit, or a dance movement, we tend to get in on our heads. And it makes you wonder where it comes from. Self-doubt? Insecurity? An inner voice? When I was observing myself with the teens, I knew I had to come up with something that could help them step out of their shell.
“Try lang nang try! Baka sumikat tayo!” It started out jokingly which eventually became a mantra that the teens and I used during the entire process. We knew for a fact that the series of workshops will reveal things we are good at and things we aren’t much so. Eventually, we turned insecurity into gratitude. We were thankful for the opportunity to learn something new, and to be have a safe space. The important part was all of us – teens, kuya’s and ate’s alike – showed up, came together and gave our best! Which leads me to my second insight…
- Let go and be yourself.
Performing and expressive arts, such as theatre and fine arts, takes a lot of self-understanding. A lot of the times throughout the workshops, we were frequently asked about ourselves. Mike asked the teens what kind of emotions and words they wanted to turn into poem, and then into song. Lesley asked the teens a lot about what story did their imaginations take them to. Those were just one of the many instances in the summer workshops that the teens and I had to ask these important questions. A lot of the times, the teens would end up sharing personal stories or some fragment of it, especially for workshops like songwriting and storytelling. These experiences that were unique to them in some way or another but share a common theme. Some explored their struggles. Others narrated a path of towards hope, resilience, and survival. And some others, explored what was fun in their lives. You can tell how much these experiences were so personal and truthful that the room is filled with all sorts of excitement, connection and openness to share. This made me amazed on how they were so attuned to their authentic selves, which – I’m sure many would agree – is hard to do a lot of the time. And I found that the inspiring stories (and I mean, all of them!) were those that were coming from a place in their heart and memories.
One of my two favorite moments in the workshops were involving a lot of movement and expression. The first was a warm-up exercise Kaye, a magic maker who spearheaded the dance and movement workshop, demonstrated a way we could let loose and feel comfortable with our own bodies. She taught us a game where we pass an imaginary ball around but only through our own unique and entertaining ways while calling the receiving person’s name. The giggles were outstanding! All sorts of silly, wacky, and creative movements and voices were made. And these giggles were also familiar when we had our acting workshop with Lesley. In her ice-breaking activity, she made the teens, including us kuya’s and ate’s, individually come up with repetitive movements that help build a “machine.” Each of us was a piece of machine moving together in a beat. And piece by piece we were put together by the magic makers until we formed a moving machine. It was an amusing yet insightful exercise. Between the two activities, I noticed how much we were given a safe space to just be silly and let loose. To feel that we are not being judged by the way we move, the way we talk, and the way we just let ourselves be. And I feel that in these times, we tend to forget that we’re allowed to just be. And I feel like for a lot of the teens, I saw in them how much this happiness and authenticity contributed to an amazing show! When we feel comfortable in our own skin, whether we are living our daily lives or projecting it into our own art works, there is a certain connection with ourselves that we discover. Sometimes, we would feel differently about this connection. Is it something we like? A lot of the times, I got to ask those questions to the teens when we would have our wrap-up huddle after every session. Most of the time, they would tell me that they feel “masaya” despite the initial awkwardness. Even if they hesitate in acknowledging the awkwardness or amusement with themselves, I can feel that the activities triggered an inner curiosity on what talents they possess – and that’s a personal exploration I think we should be journeying. As for me, these experiences reminded me of the many what-if’s in my young life so far. Back in college, I took dance classes because I was too shy to try them out when I was younger. And I realized how much fun and excitement it brought me. The workshops reminded me that it’s something I want to explore as well sometime in the future. So, to everyone reading this: let go and be yourself! You might learn something new that could help you. What did you learn about yourself? And how much do you like it? How much do you want to cultivate it?
- Magic needs a little collaboration…
I would normally call myself a “conscientious” or a “perfectionistic” person – which is why, when I was handed this job, I set high expectations within myself to deliver what I needed to deliver. “Everything for the teens,” I said to myself. For the most of us – especially in a helping profession – we tend to personalize a lot of what we do to make sure that we meet the needs of people we help as well as understand how we fit in this kind of job. And this project was a lot to plan – dates, logistics, writing letters and more than a handful of contingencies. When we were working towards show day, it was the most stressful. I had to make sure that every bit of detail ran through me – except, of course, for the show itself, and I had the go signal for them.
My largest gratitude in this endeavor is towards Ivy. This is the first time I have ever handled a project of this caliber. While I knew that I’ve had experience in leading projects in my organizations back in college, I found that this had a different feel and approach. For starters, it was seemingly a “one-man team.” However, this kind of mindset got me stuck in the mud countless of times. While there is a burden of responsibility that was assigned to me, I realized throughout the process that I was not really alone. Ivy, along with the magic makers from Make Believe Productions, were troopers in coordinating schedules, plans, and ideas! And it was insightful for me to experience production-making behind the scenes with these people because it made me feel welcome to a team and happy with the work.
At times, I felt stuck and almost feeling like giving up when things are seemingly hard to figure out. But a dash of cheers with would always come from the staff of Circle of Hope. I remember many times that I would tell them my worries and how they would listen. They would always lend out a helping hand saying, “What do you need, Josh?” In those times, I never felt I was doing the project alone. And it made me feel braver to face my worries with some sense of humor and optimism. In the end, it turned out to be great.
Magic-making as an organizer of the theatre and arts workshop was no easy task. I realized through the months of challenges and hard work, it’s always good to have people with you in your endeavors. While all of us have talent or magic of our own… but it’s always better when you do it together as one. And that’s how the production turned out to be.
- Have fun!
Needless to say – who doesn’t like a lot fun when they make a little magic in theatre? The most important for me was to go with the flow enjoy the process. Sometimes, we take ourselves too seriously whenever we have a job to do, or when we have goals to accomplish. But I’ve always reminded myself relentlessly to enjoy the little things. And I can’t even remember where the fun started! It’s all around!
We had many smiles from when we were planning the calendar of event to the last day we finally presented the show. The excitement I felt when I was making the posters that I wanted to show the teens. The laughs from the jokes that Angelo or JR – two members of Teen Barkada – crack when they notice that everyone needs a good laugh. I still get goosebumps remembering how much heart and soul the teens put into the show, and how much dedication they spent honing skills, practicing their lines, making their crafts for production – and so much more! Even when they wrote an original song together with Mike – which by the way, makes me feel so hopeful and proud of them. The smiles of Teacher Ria and the other magic makers were priceless – and I’m sure I shared the same face watching them record and sing. And what about the heartfelt sobs and smiles from the show itself!? My goodness… I remember a lot of the teens’ good acting – especially when Raven and her group did their part of the story. I remember looking at the parents and staff of Circle of Hope and seeing some tears and smiles in their faces. I’m sure Doc Jabby was crying happily too. All of us were happy. All of us were proud. And I’m sure the teens were so much proud of themselves too.
Art is all about creativity, passion, imagination, and the excitement of performing. As a teen support group facilitator, I’ve always known that pain, suffering, and struggle are always in the minds of the teens, especially those who are still recovering from their sicknesses. Yet having fun opened doors to experiences I personally never thought I would feel – and I’m certain everyone who participated in the workshop would agree. The fruit of magic making in the theatre of arts is that we present our talents outside of us and in return feel nourished in the inside. It’s like somehow, we are reminded that even though we are in struggling, we are allowed to enjoy life still and heal from our pains. And that lesson was invaluable.
What I want to readers to take from here on out is to give themselves an opportunity to not only learn new things, but to see what’s in store for them as they learn. My experiences with Make Believe Productions and the teens had me thinking about questions like, “When was the last time you just had fun and made magic?” Sometimes I had the answers to them. But most of the time, I couldn’t help but be in awe at what transpired in those months I was working on this workshop. Each time I reflect on those memories, I remember that all of us have magic in ourselves and we just have to let it all out!
So – what about you, dear reader? When was the last time you made magic?
